Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-08
POPULATION AND FOOD.
Retaliation of the Arguments OF Mod
ern Maltnus-There is Food
to Spare.
Why MaIthus' Doctrine is no Longer Plau
sibIe-The Earth's Food Producing
Capabilities.
Chicago Times.

Chicago Times.
The current number of the Forum con-
tains q springtly article by Thomas W.
Knox, entitled "Standing Room Only"
II shows that several countries in the
world contain so many people that they
can scarcely walk about without jostling
each other. For example, the statement
is made that Java has 398 inhabitants to
the square mile, Japan 234, Italy 246,
Belgium 481, and the Netherlands 3l2.
The author then states that there is hardly
q country whose population is diminish
ing. while that of most countries is in
crossing with wonderful if not with
alarming rapidity. This increase of pop
ulatioH is largely due to the absence of
wars and better sanitary conditions.
Mr.. Knox thinks that it is time to study
the philosophy of Nautilus, who held that
population, unchecked, increased in
geometricsl ratio, while food can only be
made to increase in arithmetical ratio.
He also argues that checks on population
are absolutely necessary, and claims ad-
vantages tor war, pestilence, famine and
most of the destructive vices. He states
that few of the countries in which there
is 'standing room only" can produce
food enough for the inhabitants, and
shows by official census tables that the
number Of these countries is increasing
very rapidly. He predicts that our own
will be added to the list of OVerpopulated
countries in no very distant future. at
present few Of the original thirteen states
produce food enough to supply all the
inhabitants. The line that divides the
states that do not produce food enough
for the people from those that do is con-
stantly moving farther west.
NO CAUSE FOR ALARM.
The modern Msithus has no cause for
alarm. In almost every country in the
world there is food enough and to spare.
In nearly every land food producers are
discouraged by overproduction. At one
time farmers fond no fault with prices,
but complained because they could raise
but little. Now they complain of low
prices, and find fault because so much
is produced. English papers state that
there was never a time in the history Of
the country when days wages would
purchase so much food. During last
year sugar sold for penny pound, and
many farmers used it as q condimenJ or
food for cattle and pigs. Fresh behring's
sold 10 London markets for a half penny
each, and the poorest laborers ate white
DIcduJ OIduSSS anu UdDdudS. DuIIuS
several months small fruits were so cheap
that they commanded only a nominal
price, and some farmers and gardeners
used them to fertilize their land. One
vessel brought 40, 0C0 CarCasses of frozen
mutton from one of the Falkland islands,
where it was bought for penny pound.
Two steamship companies paid a penny
q bushel for the privilege of carrying
wheat in bags from American to English
ports, so that the grain OF civilization was
cheaper in Liverpool than in Baltimore.
The price of farm products is SO low in
Great Britain that the overs of several
large estates declare. that they can realize
more from them as game preserves than
as cultivated farms.
The truth is, the doctrine Of Nautilus is
an exploded humbug. 1t was plausible
theory at the time he wrote, but the in
PRODUCTION of machine 2 on farms, the use
Of steam in agriculture, the improvement
in breeds of aniLlIS, the utilization Of
products formerly wasted, the new meth
DDS of preserving frui =, vegetables, meat
and fish, and last, but most, the increased
speed of vessels and the low rates for
q, carving all kinds of articles intended for
food, have produced a revolution and de-
stroyed the philosophy of the pc simist of
the dinner table. We hear of cOel famines
and water famines, but there are no food
famines anywhere, and there is 10 pros
peCt of any.
FOOD PRODUCING CAPABILITIES.
We have hardly begun to test the food
producing capabilities of the earth. A
German traveller declares that Siberia Is
capable of producing grain enough to sup
ply all western Europe with bread. An
English authority states that wheat was
worth but 10 cents a bushel in the in
terror of Asiatic Turkey last year, and
that many farmers did not find 1t protits-
BILE to harvest their fields. The island of
Hsyti is capable of producing enough
yams and bananas to feed 20,000,000 peo-
pie. Hardly any portion of Africa except
the narrow valley of the Nile has been
brought under cultivation. But an in
significant part + Australia has been de-
voted to the production of food. South
America, in the opinion of Humboldt, is
the grand division of the earth capable of
producing the most food; still large
portion of it remains unexplored, and no
good farming is done in the parts that
have been longest settled. It could be
made not only the granary but the stock
yard for supplying Europe with food
Wild cattle are almost as plentiful there
as rabbits are in Australia, and thousands
of them are killed every year for their
hides and tallow. Sheep are raised with
scarcely any care, and pigs turned into
the forests become fat on nuts and wild
fruit. No believer in Malthusian philoso-
ply ever visited South America.
By selecting breeds of animals that
mature early, and constantly supplying
them with suitable food, steers are made
to weigh as much when they are thirty
months old as they formerly did at twice
that age. By the general Introduction of
the silo the teef and mutton production
of this country could be doubled, even if
no more land was devoted to raising
fodder crops. Our countryman, Seth
Green, originated the expression "wster
farming" and demonstrated that an acre
of water was capable of producing as
much food as an acre of land. Expert
ments show that Germsn carp can be
raised at about half the price OF the
cheapest meat, and the prospect is that
most of our small lakes and artificial
ponds will soon be utilized for the produc-
ton of food the same ss they are in China
and Tsuan Rood rorOdurerG everywhere